Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has revealed why he did not attempt to sign his son Diego Poyet this summer, having seen the midfielder move from Charlton Athletic to West Ham United last month.

Rumours linking the 19-year-old with a move to the north east immediately surfaced upon Poyet’s appointment in October, with his announcement in June that he would not be renewing his Charlton contract further fuelling speculation.

The Black Cats boss admitted that the option to sign the former England under-17 international was there, but the friction he believed it would have caused in the dressing room made him decide against it.

‘There was a family issue,’ The Mirror quoted the Uruguayan as saying. ‘I would love to coach him, but at the same time it would be unfair on him.

‘Do you think the players on the bench would accept it if I’m playing my son?’

Having signed a four-year deal with the Hammers, the younger Poyet made 20 appearances for Charlton last season after becoming a regular in the side from February onwards, with his impressive performances seeing him win the club’s Player of the Year award.

Recently in the news after old tweets criticising teammates Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing surfaced, the highly-rated youngster also attracted the interest of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea this summer, and looks set to for a bright Premier League future.

Freddie Shires

Freddie is a freelance sports writer, having recently completed an MA in Sports Journalism at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. With an especially keen interest in all things American sports-related, he has written extensively about the NFL, MLS and the U.S. national team for various sites.